‘Urine test may offer less invasive HPV detection’

A urine test which detects the human papilloma virus could offer women a less invasive alternative to a cervical test, experts said.

Offering a less time-consuming alternative could also increase screening uptake, they said.

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the HPV.

The virus is one of the commonest sexually transmitted infections — up to 80% of sexually active women are infected at some point in their lives. While many strains are harmless, others can disrupt the normal functioning of cells and trigger cervical cancer.

At present, medics screen for cervical cancer using smear tests which detect the presence of precancerous cells.

But the researchers said there has been a downward trend in uptake of the smear test and suggested this is because of its invasive nature and the time it takes.

They said the detection of HPV in the cervix is being tested as a new method for cervical cancer screening. But some tests share the same problems as a smear test and might not improve screening uptake rates, according to the researchers from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

So they decided to investigate the effectiveness of urine tests for the virus. The authors analysed data from 14 studies which held the data of 1,443 women

The study, published on thebmj.com, found that the tests that identified presence of HPV were 87% accurate, and 94% of tests that gave negative results gave the correct result. Two strains of the virus, HPV 16 and HPV 18, have been found to cause around 70% of cervical cancer cases.

And urine tests correctly identified 98% of negative tests and 73% of positive tests, the researchers found. They concluded that urine tests have “good accuracy” for detection of HPV.

In an accompanying editorial, researchers at the University of Manchester said self-controlled HPV testing — involving a urine test or a vaginal swab — could provide a “a feasible alternative to HPV testing of cervical samples collected by health professionals”.

But they added: “More research is now required to identify the true clinical performance and acceptability of urine testing for HPV in both settings.”